Not long after the mass publication of photos of the SlutWalk which took place in several Brazilian cities over the weekend of 26th-27th May, numerous complaints have emerged about the photos of the women whose bare breasts were on show in protest against male chauvinism. These images have since been deleted by Facebook for “violating the declaration of rights and responsibilities” as outlined by the online service.

Some cases gained more attention than others; in particular, that of the activist Luka Franca in São Paulo, the Facebook page of the SlutWalk of Belo Horizonte and of the photographer Ananda Luz who took part in the march which passed through Rio de Janeiro, in a case which was condemned by her daughter, Tarsila Luz. Tarsila wrote [pt] on her Facebook profile page:

Guys, my mother Ananda Luz cannot access her Facebook account today; it’s been blocked because of complaints about the photos that she took of the SlutWalk… the funny thing is that they only withdrew the photos of the bare-breasted women in conflict with the police. So who was making the complaints? Did they also complain through other media? Why does the fact that we women are protesting cause such discomfort? Enough of this dictatorship!!!!!!

It’s possible to compare the photos from Luz’s Facebook album with those which appeared on Flickr and notice, for example, that one of the photos – amongst others – doesn’t appear in the former. Curiously, the photos featuring men without shirts on were not censored. The case was also picked up [pt] by the blogger Conceicao Oliveira in her blog.

One of the photos of Ananda Luz which was censored by Facebook. Used with permission.

The profile of the SlutWalk of Belo Horizonte was also censored and received many complaints. Speaking on behalf of the group, the Facebook page’s administrator, Débora, commented [pt] that “the threats of beatings, the insults…these weren’t denounced. They passed by unnoticed, common and accepted as they are in our society.”

But the breasts… Ah, the breasts, those awful breasts, that even today frighten those who to spit on the breasts which suckled them, those people of good character who want to ”protect their five-year-old daughter from the immorality of the world”; the very same who assert that you “should march against corruption”; those who blame us for all the woes of the world; those who affirm that it’s our fault that “Brazil will not progress”; those pigs with filthy souls who, by wallowing in the mud, only have mud to offer to the filthy bitches, to the whores of the divine bosoms, to the tramps who have the audacity, the impudence, the infamy, the immorality, the shamelessness to…show their bare chests. Ah, the breasts! Help! Police! Reverend Father, save me! There are some bare breasts out there, somebody help me! It’s urgent…I’m scared of breasts!!!

Photos censored by photos returned with black-outs on the profile of the SlutWalk of Belo Horizonte.

Another case which has an even higher profile is that of the journalist Luka Franca whose photo, in which she appears bare-breasted next to her daughter, “was denounced as ‘unsuitable content’ and Facebook agreed with the complaints, barring future posts and messages between the journalist and her friends”, explained [pt] Manu Barem, who blogs for Jezebel:

An image or publication has to be complained about for it to be taken offline, but when this happens, the site itself indicates that it is possible that the image will not be removed, simply because the ‘good neighbourhood’ code which they have set up is being cited. It’s worth remembering that before images are deemed to be pornographic, exceptions will include images of breast-feeding and classical art featuring the nude body, for example. If you do infringe the code you are suspended. After three suspensions, you are expelled from the social network

Franca still remembers a previous case of suspension from Facebook – that of the activist Kalu, banned for posting a picture of herself breastfeeding. In a similar way, she condemns the case of the Occupy São Paulo activist, Paula Lion, who was suspended for posting photos of women with uncovered breasts in the São Paulo SlutWalk.

Photo of Paula Lion, censored by Facebook.

Discussing the concept of the SlutWalk, professor and activist Maíra Kubik Mano said [pt]:

Within the context of affirming liberty and of the human body as a political battleground, some protestors choose to go out on the streets with uncovered breasts. It’s a provocation, of course, to demonstrate that a woman should not be an object of desire 24 hours a day, in the way that the advertisers of beer would like it to be.

Facebook has a strict policy against the distribution of pornography and imposes limitations on exhibiting nudity. In the same way, we have to respect the rights of people to share content of personal importance to them – be it photos of sculpture, such as Michaelangelo’s “David”, or family photos of a mother breastfeeding her baby.

Facebook, the website of public sharing, clearly does not make a distinction between “gratuitous” nudity, pornography and social activism.

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[…] censored some photos of bare-breasted protesters posted on the Marcha das Vadias (SlutWalk) Belo Horizonte page and it suspended the accounts of some of the activists for posting these pictures. Perhaps the […]